Ranking Member for Economy & Development and MP for Ofoase Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has said that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government has removed two taxes while introducing four more through the back door.
Speaking in an interview on YFM’s Myd Morning Radio Show (MMRS) with host Rev. Erskine Whyte, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah criticized the NDC government’s approach following the budget presentation by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. He argued that the much-celebrated tax removals were merely a distraction from new revenue measures being implemented at the “blindside of Ghanaians.”
“What we’re seeing is a clever political maneuver,” Kojo Oppong Nkrumah stated on MMRS “They announce with fanfare the abolition of the E-levy and betting tax, but simultaneously slip in four new tax measures that will ultimately place a heavier burden on the average Ghanaian.”
The former Information Minister explained to Rev. Erskine that while the government has publicly highlighted the removal of taxes including the Electronic Transaction Levy, the 10% tax on lottery winnings, and plans to eventually abolish the COVID-19 levy, these gestures are overshadowed by the introduction of new revenue measures that have received less attention.
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah defended the previous administration’s tax policies, stating they were necessary responses to debt accumulated during the pandemic. “We had borrowed heavily during the COVID-19 era and had to repay. That’s why we introduced certain taxes which admittedly constrained the economy. But at least we were transparent about it,” he added during the MMRS interview.
The Finance Minister had announced during the budget presentation that the removal of these taxes would “ease the burden on households and improve their disposable income,” but according to Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the reality will be quite different once all the new tax measures take effect.
As the debate over Ghana’s fiscal policy continues, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah urged citizens to look beyond the headlines and scrutinize the complete budget document to understand the full implications of the government’s economic management approach.
